Time Heals All Wounds
by Shadow244
Summary: Allison Bray has been abandoned by her family and returns to Hogwarts broken and lost. Will her friends be able to pick up the pieces or will Allison have to rely on her own strength to conquer her demons? **A rewrite of Time Tells All** Rated M for self injury/language
1. Chapter 1

The end of summer brought with it deep seeds of anxiety and fear for Allison. She sat in her room the night before her departure to school, curled in the corner of her small bedroom, eyes wet with shed tears. She rubbed her eyes.

The last two months had been miserable. Allison spent the hot days either at the local park, sitting on the swings for hours, or in her bedroom, staring at the large pile of letters perched on the edge of her trunk.

She started receiving them only a few days after the start of the summer. They are all from her friends, delivered through her window by owl and all remain unopened.

On several occasions Allison went to open one, just one letter and read the words written on the parchment but always stopped. She couldn't bear to be reminded how alone she was.

Allison leaned her head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling, a tear sliding down her cheek. She wondered if her parent's were going to drive her to the train station or if she was going to have to take the bus again.

_My family._

Allison felt her stomach clench at the mere thought. She didn't have a family, not really. When Allison first received her letter from Hogwarts, her mom and dad were indifferent, maybe even pleased. Allison was over the moon with joy. Finally she knew why she was so different from her peers, why she felt she didn't belong.

At Hogwarts Allison had friends, family even and could relate to everyone there in one way or another. She was finally, finally happy and at peace. But that changed when she returned home for Christmas and her parent's indifference took a turn for the worse.

In the time that Allison was at school, her parent's attitude toward their only child became that of anger and disgust. They started to look at her as different, a freak even. And they had no problem expressing that.

Another tear slid down Allison's cheek at the memory. That was four years ago and her relationship with her parents only got worse. In the last two months, Allison had had little to no contact with her family, regardless of living under the same roof. Each pretended that the other didn't exist.

Allison's heart ached for some kind of compassion from her parents but no matter how much she wanted it, no matter how much she prayed for it, she didn't received it.

Curling up on the floor, huddle in the corner, Allison closed her eyes, holding back sobs and fell asleep, waking only when the sound of her fathers bellow roused her. She jerked awake, heart thumping as her dad yelled up the stairs for her to get downstairs.

Getting to her feet, Allison rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched the knots from her back. Slowly, she made her way downstairs, dread pitted in her stomach. She found her mother and father in the kitchen. A smell of bacon filled her nose.

But of course, there was only breakfast for her mom and dad. They both looked at her when she walked in, eyeing the state of her clothes and hair.

"Try smiling once in a while," Allison's father sneered, "might help people like you a bit more."

Allison chewed her lip, aware that that was the most her father had said to her in two months. She looked to her mother, who sipped coffee from a large mug. She looked at her daughter over the rim of cup, her brows knitted together.

"You're not coming home," she said softly, in a way that made Allison's stomach somersault.

"What do you mean?" Allison whispered.

"We talk to that-that school of yours," Allison's father said through bites of egg, "they agreed to keep you there over al the holidays and summer months. You won't be coming back here."

Allison's jaw dropped to the floor. She didn't understand, not right away. Was she being dumped on the doorstep? Were her parents abandoning her, right then and there?

"I suggest you gather everything you want," her mother said, choosing to stare at her plate of food instead of her daughter, "we will be throwing anything left out tonight."

Allison stood there, lost for words, blood pounding in her ears. She stood for so long, unmoving, that her father looked up at her, a mixture of irritation and anger evident on his face.

"You can go now," he grunted, "pack your stuff. A taxi will pick you up in an hour."

Feeling truly alone, Allison walked numbly back to her bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. She looked at her room, where she had spent almost the whole of her life in and couldn't imagine not being in it anymore. Heaving a sigh, Allison gathered her spell books, school supplies and clothes, putting them neatly in her trunk. She took her wand and stuck in her pants pocket and checked under her bed and in her closet to make sure she wasn't missing anything.

Allison stood back and noticed the letters. She picked them up, held them in her hands, before putting them in her trunk too. Finally, Allison opened the bottom drawer of her desk and withdrew from its belly a small black box.

Staring at it, Allison considered what would happen if she had the tools with her. It wasn't something she wanted to continue with during school but she had been relying on it to keep herself sane for the last month and a half.

Allison heard her father yell for her again, demanding that she get her butt downstairs and out the door and she placed the small black box and its contents in her truck, along with the rest of her life, packed away in only an hour.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

The taxi took Allison to King's Cross Station with ample time to spare. The driver was polite and got her a trolley and helped her with her trunk. He wished her a good day before driving into the mass of cars and pedestrians.

With a heavy heart, Allison pushed the trolley into the station, taking the familiar route to platforms nine and ten. Allison pushed on the cart, thrusting herself forward and through the gate.

The Hogwarts Express awaited Allison, the scarlet engine gushing smoke. Despite the heaviness in her chest, Allison smiled at the sight and found herself a compartment. The platform and train was quiet, but was filling up quickly.

Through the compartment window, Allison watched as families flooded the platform, mothers and fathers kissing their children goodbye. Allison traced the lines on her skin and longed for the black box, now locked safely in her trunk. As Allison closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, the door to her compartment swung open.

Allison opened her eyes to three very familiar faces, three faces that had expressions of anger and worry.

"I—uh—I, I'm so sorry," Allison choked, sitting upright as her friends closed the compartment door and joined her.

"What happened to you?" Hermione asked.

"Huh?" Allison blanked, unsure of what to say. Her mind reeled.

"We sent you tons of letters," Ron said.

"Oh—my parents," Allison stammered, realizing that a lie would be so much easier to explain then the truth, "they took them from me. All of them."

A look of shame washed over Harry's face and his expression relaxed.

"Oh," he said, "I didn't—I should have figured—the Dursley's, you know –I."

"It's okay Harry," Allison said, smiling in spite of herself.

After that Allison fell into a comfortable state of mind, talking and laughing with her friends. As the train moved through the landscape, Allison all but forgot everything that had happened over the summer.

The train pulled into the platform several hours later and Allison was ushered from the train, followed closely by her friends. The four of them gathered in one of the horseless carriages and were whisked off to the castle. Small drops of rain splattered the roof of the carriage and the smell of wet concrete filled Allison's nose.

As Hogwarts castle loomed closer, Allison felt anxiety flutter in the pit of her stomach. As happy as she was to be back with the people who accepted her, she couldn't shake the horrible realization that she had no home to go to, that her school was now her place of solstice.

The carriages came to a rumbling halt at the foot of the staircase that led up to the doors leading into the Entrance Hall. Ducking her head against the sudden onslaught of rain, Allison hurried alongside Harry, Ron and Hermione into Hogwart's, shaking beads of water from their robes.

Allison let out a huge sigh of relief. Warmth touched her cold face and she shook her sleeves free of water. Allison followed the crowd into the Great Hall and sat beside Hermione. Harry and Ron sat across from them.

As the sorting started, Allison rested her head on her hand and stared at the hat as it was placed on the first year's heads. She thought back to her sorting. Truthfully, Allison was surprised when the hat yelled Gryffindor. She was sure it would place her in Hufflepuff. Allison still didn't understand the hats decision. It said little to her during the time she had it on. In fact, the hat said near nothing and the next thing Allison knew, it was belting out her new house.

Dumbledore stood at the front of the four house tables and addressed the school at large. Allison stared up at him then to Harry, wondering what it was like to be known personally by the Headmaster. She sighed.

Allison wondered a lot of things.

What would it be like to be brilliant like Hermione, to know without having to think about it? What would be like to have a family like Ron's, to know you are loved and cherished? Even Harry, who is, despite him accepting it or not, watched out for by the adults in his life.

In many ways, and she hated herself for such thoughts, Allison felt it would almost be easier if her parents were dead instead of completely denying their daughter the love that she so desperately needed.

As the plates filled with food and drink, Allison's mind wandered up to her trunk, which was certainly in her dormitory at that point, and the little black box that seemed to call out to her. Allison could almost feel the blade cut through her skin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The first week of school went by without any major instances. Allison found it easy to forget about the black box as she made her way through classes and homework and catching up with friends. She found it easy to feel happy.

That happiness and ease, however, was put to the test the following Monday with Double Potions first thing after breakfast. Allison left the Great Hall with Harry, Ron and Hermione, the four of them making their way down to the dungeons.

With each step she took, Allison's anxiety and worry grew steadily worse. They four of them arrived in the Potion's classroom in what felt like seconds to Allison. She sat down between Harry and Hermione, pulling out her scales and ingredients as the rest of the class piled in.

Professor Snape shut the classroom door with a familiar snap and stalked to the front, his robes billowing out behind him. He turned to face his class, his black eyes glittering.

"Today," he drawled, "we will work on the most complex potion you will have encountered so far in your studies," Snape flicked his wand and the blackboard filled with instructions. They seemed endless. "This is a potion of compulsion, of inner desires. It delves into the drinker's darkest secrets and impulses. The results are rather … interesting," his smirk is sinister. "You have an hour and a half. You may begin."

Panic, unwelcome and sudden, flooded Allison's brain as she read and reread the instructions. As she began cutting flower roots, she couldn't help but focus on the thump of her heart and what would happen if she were to take that potion. Would she completely lose it and slice herself into ribbons? Or would she just close in on herself and stop living completely? Allison shivered at the idea.

"Uhm, Allison?"

"Huh? What?" Allison snapped out of her reverie and found Harry staring at her cauldron.

Following his gaze, Allison realized that her potion had turned a sickly orange and was bubbling horribly.

"Oh damn!" Allison yelped, frantic. "Damn, damn, damn! What did I do?"

"Did you add the porcupine quills?" Hermione hissed from across her own cauldron, which was full of a simmering green potion.

"Ah shit," Allison, completely bewildered, tossed in the porcupine pills and stared at the orange sludge.

The potion hissed and exploded with a loud bang that made half the class scream. Sparks shot from the melting cauldron, the potion melting through the metal bottom. Horrified, Allison grabbed her wand and made to try and clear the mess.

As she waved her wand, the disastrous potion gave another sudden bubble and disappeared. Snape stood on the other side, staring down at the melted cauldron with disdain.

"Another failure," he sneered, "tell me, are you the reason for Potter and Longbottom's equally dismal potions skills or is it the other way around?"

Cheeks burning, Allison muttered, "neither, sir."

"I highly doubt that," Snape said, clearly enjoying himself, "I want a foot long essay, due next class, on where you went wrong with this potion and why. Do not be late."

He turned his back on Allison, leaving her speechless and completely embarrassed. She waved her wand and her cauldron repaired itself, the melted metal molting back together. She left with the rest of the class, feeling downright rotten.

Snape reminded her of her father and the way he talked down to her like she was some kind of disease-ridden insect.

And any reminder of her father was enough to send her over the edge.

That night was a complete three sixty from the previous for Allison and she sat around the common room fire with her friends in stony silence. She stared at the flickering flames, thinking back to Snape and his sarcastic banter.

Hermione, who had been finishing her Charms essay for the last hour, peeked over her work at Allison.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting her quill down.

"Hmm?" Allison looked away from the flames to notice her friends' gazes. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Don't let Snape get you down," Harry said encouragingly.

"Yeah, the git is always breathing down someone's neck," Ron grinned. "Actually," he sad thoughtfully, "I'm surprised he didn't pick on you more Harry."

"It's because I'm shit at Potions," Allison snapped, receiving surprised eyes. She sighed, "I'm going to bed."

Allison gathered her bag and went to the dormitories. Why she was so bothered by Snape was beyond her. Ron was right; Snape was way worse to Harry and always picked on him for no reason. So why was she taking it so personally?

Fidgeting, Allison opened her trunk and pulled from it the small black box that she had been ignoring dutifully for the last week. She sat on the edge of her bed and opened the box. Inside were several straight edge razors, gauze and ordinary muggle tape.

Allison fingered the tape and smiled slightly. It was strange that she had turned to such a muggle means of coping. Allison slipped one of the blades out from the box and held it in her hand.

Making sure she was alone, Allison rolled up her left sleeve and held the blade over the marked skin. The cuts she had been making were all healed, leaving behind angry red and pink scars that refused to fade. Allison examined the scars briefly before lowering the blade, sinking the metal neatly into her skin.

The pain was immediate and Allison cut her skin open. The pain was a welcome distraction and Allison made another cut, sucking in a breath at the sharp ache in her arm. She put the blade back in the box and pressed some of the gauze against the wounds.

The knot that had been forming in the pit of Allison's stomach slowly untied itself, leaving Allison feeling fresh and new and ready for a new day.


	4. Chapter 4

Allison woke the next morning to heavy rays of late summer sun warming her cheek. She sat up, leaning against her arms for support and winced at the pain that flushed through her forearms. It took only one incident for Allison's whole psyche to crash and burn, resulting in her turning to her only means to cope. It felt as though nothing had changed for Allison.

She fell back against her pillows and stared at the ceiling until she heard the others begin to stir. It wasn't long until Hermione was standing by her bed, leaning over her, her ginger cat tucked beneath her arm.

"Good morning," she said brightly. "Ready to get up?"

"Always," Allison yawned.

"Ron and Harry are waiting for us in the Great Hall."

Allison dressed quickly and the two girls followed the crowd of remaining Gryffindor's down to breakfast, where they met up with Harry and Ron, but of who were starting on large bowls of porridge. Allison grabbed a couple of pieces of toast and nibbled on them slowly.

Ron, Harry and Hermione noticed the silence that surrounded Allison and exchanged glances. Double Potions was their last class that day and they could almost feel the anxiety.

"It's going to be okay, you know," Hermione said softly.

"Hmm?" Allison looked up at her friend's anxious glances. "Oh. I know. I think I'm gonna go to the dungeons and finish the potion at lunch, maybe I'll be able to scrape up a decent mark for it."

Hermione nodded encouragingly, "want some company?"

Allison smiled, "sure. That would be nice."

Before Allison could even think about the disastrous potion from yesterday, though, she had to first endure the torture of Divination, which was first class that day. Divination came second in line to Allison's least favorite and it was with a heavy heart that she, Ron, Harry and Hermione made their way up the many flights of stairs to the trapdoor and classroom beyond.

"After you," Allison said to Ron, motion to the ladder that led through the door.

She followed after her friends and was immediately met with heavily perfumed air that assaulted her senses. The four chose a spot by the window and opened it a crack. A cool breeze tickled their cheeks.

"I swear, if it was any hotter in here," Ron whined, pulling at his collar.

"Maybe Trelawney trying to slowly cook us to death," Allison said, eyeing the crystal ball that sat timid on the table in front of her, "or drive us mad."

The heat was making her head fuzzy and her arms were tingling slightly. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Suddenly, as though out of nowhere, Trelawney drifted out of the shadows only feet from Harry, her magnified eyes sweeping the classroom as the rest of her students sat down. She drifted through the many chairs and puffs and glided to the front of the class. The many beads and bangles that adorned her small frame clinked and sparkled in the dim light.

"Welcome back," she said in a rather dreamy tone, "today we will look into the wonders of the crystal ball! We will search within ourselves and ask ourselves what makes us such as we are now. Look into the crystal ball before you, search it and dissect it and allow it to answer back to you," she raised her hands up toward the ceiling, eyes glittering, a smile spread across her face.

Allison stared at her and exchanged a glance with Ron. The woman was crazy.

Nevertheless, the four leaned in toward the ghostly white crystal ball, its cloudy innards moving lazily in small clouds within. Allison stared at it and let her mind wander off. In the back of her head she could feel the cuts on her arms prickle in the heat. She could almost feel the blade as it slid through her skin and the pain that radiated through her nerves, screaming at her to stop. But she didn't and she kept going until finally, finally everything was out of her, every feeling was paid for in full.

Allison ran her hand over her forearm and felt the wounds beneath her fingers and she stared into the crystal as the milky substance began to bulge and beat, almost like that of a human pulse. A pulse, blood, a heart, a heart to pump that blood.

_Do I have a heart?_ Allison thought dimly, eyes glued to the crystal, _am I even worthy of one? Do I have a soul or am I bleeding it out? Am I weak? Is it even worth living anymore?_

As the thought passed through Allison's brain, the white cloud of the crystal ball gave one last pulse and began to change colour. A soft pink shone from the centre of the fog and grew slowly denser, deepening to a rich, blood red. The colour seeped through the whole of the crystal ball and it began to vibrate.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at it, mouths hanging open. The crystal ball shuddered violently and fell from its hold, rolling down the table toward Allison. As it rolled toward the edge of the table, a single crack cut through the crystal and it broke open as it fell into Allison's lap. A thick, red liquid burst from the crystal ball's center and spilled over Allison's arms, torso and legs.

Allison snapped out of her reverie as the liquid coated her and she yelled out in shock. The whole class fell silent, turning to see what had happened. Several gasps ruptured the sudden stillness. Allison stood up, dripping wet.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at her in horror.


	5. Chapter 5

Allison fled the Divination classroom, leaving behind many frightened classmates. The red liquid smelled of metal and Allison had the sickening feeling that it was blood that dripped from her robes as she hurtled through the halls, desperate to get to the dormitories. As she turned a corner, small trails of the blood following her every step; she collided into something or someone. Allison bounced off and fell to the floor, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

"Miss Bray."

Allison's heart sank. She recognized that drawl any day. Peeking out from behind her bangs, Allison looked up into Professor Snapes cold black ones and she internally cursed herself. Of all people to run into!

"Shouldn't you – what in the world –" Snapes eyes widened slightly at the sight of the drenched student sprawled on the floor.

"Divination – accident – not my blood," Allison panted, getting to her feet. She held her arms out in disgust, the weight on her sleeves making her limbs shake. "I have to get this off. Now. Excuse me, please."

"Come with me," Snape said coldly, though amusement played in his eyes at the sight of Allison.

"No, I have to get this _off_," Allison whined, dancing from foot to foot, the metallic smell making her stomach flop.

"I heard you the first time," Snape snarled, "water won't do you much good. I have a potion that will help."

He turned his back on Allison and began walking down the hall. Hesitantly, Allison followed and received many looks of horror from students and teachers alike as she followed Snape to the dungeons. She stopped short of the potions classroom, her stomach in knots.

Snape opened the door and she followed him in. She stopped again at the first line of desks and he walked off into his office. The room was eerie and even colder then usual empty, like no life breathed in the place. Allison shivered.

"Hold your arms out," Snape demanded as he reentered the room, a small vial in his hands.

"Uhh," Allison stammered, "I-I I can do it."

"It wasn't a question."

"I would really rather—hey!" Allison yelped in surprise as Snape, ignoring her entirely, grabbed her left wrist and held it out.

Allison felt her heart rise into her throat as her professor rolled up her sleeve and uncorked the potion. The blood that covered her skin easily hid the new wounds. Snape poured a small drop of the potion onto her forearm and the blood began to get siphoned off, as though the potion were a sponge.

Then, quite suddenly, a blinding pain rushed through Allison's arm, where the potion had landed over top a cut from the night before and she screamed out in pain and wrenched her arm back from Snape's grasp. The pain was excruciating.

"Jesus! What the hell did you do?" Allison bellowed, cradling her arm against her chest, teeth clenched. "Son of a bitch! God dammit!"

"Enough!" Snape snapped, looking at her coldly, "do you have any injuries on your arm?"

"What?" Allison said sharply, the pain slowly dissipating. She tugged her sleeve down. "Why does that matter?"

"Why do you think?" Snape said coldly, "Give me your arm."

"Oh, no, no, that's NOT going to happen again!" Allison yelled hysterically.

It was no longer pain that was coursing through Allison's brain, but panic. Shear and utter terror. She could not, WOULD not let Snape, of all people, to figure her out. Not like this. Not ever. Allison turned on her heel.

"Where are you going?" Snape snarled, following her.

"The bathroom so I can clean myself up, pain free," Allison said, not even considering her words.

As Snape opened his mouth to demand the student stop or else get detention, a voice filtered down the hall.

"Allison!"

It was Harry, closely followed by Ron and Hermione. They caught up to her.

"Oh god, what happened?" Hermione asked, breathless, eyes searching Allison's drenched skin and robes. She looked over Allison's shoulder to see the hem of Snape's robes whip out of sight into the Potion's classroom.

"What are you doing down here?" Harry asked as they lead Allison to the nearest bathroom.

"I ran into Snape on my way to the dormitories," Allison said, frowning.

"And he brought you down here?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"He didn't bring me here," Allison said, exasperated, "he had a potion to clean this up," she waved her soaked clothes.

She was lucky that her sleeve was still wet and it looked as though nothing had changed.

"Wait, so he was being _nice_?" Ron asked incredulously, eyes wide.

"I wouldn't call it being nice, I think he just wanted to see me suffer longer," they stopped in front of the bathrooms on the ground floor, "now shoo."

Ron rolled his eyes and he and Harry went into the Great Hall for some lunch while Hermione followed Allison into the bathroom to help.

"I can do this on my own," Allison said, "You go have lunch. I'll meet up with you in potions."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, eyes sweeping Allison's ruined robes.

"Uh huh, I'll get as much of this out and go and change, don't worry about me."

Allison watched Hermione leave and, checking that no one else was in the room, shrugged off her outer layer of robes and rolled her sleeves up past her elbows. She turned on the faucet and let the water run warm. She dipped her arms underneath the water and watched it turn a light pink before disappearing down the drain.

Allison examined the forearm that the potion had touched and noticed the way the wounds were ridged in red and looked raw, as though the potion had ripped them open again. Indeed, Allison looked closer and noticed that there was a small amount of congealed blood around the edges. Allison splashed water over them and winced at the pain.

As soon as she finished wiping her skin clean, Allison did her best to siphon most of the blood from her robes with the spell Hermione had taught her and tucked it under her arm. She left the bathroom and made her way to the dormitories to change and get on with her day, trying her best to ignore the blossom of anxiety in her gut.


	6. Chapter 6

Allison spent the next several days secluded in the Library, poring over potions books, desperate to find the one Snape had used days before. The pain in her arms is still there, a sharp familiar one from the wounds made the night before. Allison cradled her forearm to her chest as she read, her heart skipping a beat every time she read the words blood, wound, sponge or anything close to.

The night of her run in with the Potions Master, Allison told herself she would just forget the whole ordeal and move on. She was even able to ignore her professor during that afternoons Potion's class, even though he consistently breathed down her neck and demanded excellence from her when he knew he would not receive it.

But as Allison made fresh cuts and told herself to ignore the potion, her hand slipped and dug into her skin. She had been lucky she was in the seventh floor bathroom and it was empty because she made a mess. She had panicked at the wound and the blood that followed was a steady flow for nearly fifteen minutes.

As soon as Allison had a handle on the wound, she noticed the blood on the bathroom floor, sprinkling the light colour with dots of deep red. She had to spend another twenty minutes cleaning up and it was then that she realized that the potion Snape had used would be perfect for this kind of situation. Plus, she was fascinated with why it had such an effect on open wounds.

So Allison found herself in the library, locked away from her friends, book after book piled up around her as she feverishly swept through pages of potions. Allison checked the time and was surprised to find it was almost midnight. The librarian would be around to kick her out any minute.

Allison tucked several of the books under her arm and put the rest away. She slung her bag over her shoulder and left the library. As she made her way up the staircases to the seventh floor, she noticed the hush voices drifting from the corridor on the sixth floor. She stopped when she heard her name.

"There's something going on with Miss. Bray." It was Snape, his voice cool and level. He sounded annoyed.

"What makes you think that, Severus?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Allison pressed herself against the wall and listened as Snape explained the incident in the potions classroom.

"Yes, I have noticed a difference in her attitude," McGonagall said, a note of sadness in her voice, "but why the sudden interest in her wellbeing Severus?"

"Interest?" Snapes voice dropped several tones, "I would hardly call it that. I would rather not have her die in this school and you're the Head of her House."

"What exactly do you think she is doing to make you think that?"

There was a long silence and Allison was sure that her Professors could hear her heart beat against her bones. She heard a shuffle of robes.

"I haven't a clue," Snape finally said, "but whatever it is, she was adamant I did not see."

Allison had had enough. She slipped past the corridor and hurried up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. She dropped the books on the one of the chairs by the fire and fell into the other, exhausted, her mind reeling.

She closed her eyes and images of confrontation filled her thoughts. What happens if McGonagall takes Snape's words seriously and confronts Allison? What will she do without exposing herself completely? Allison wasn't ready to give her habit up and truth was, she didn't know if she ever will be.

"Hey, Allison! Allison! Wake up!"

Hands shook her shoulder and Allison jerked awake with a start, heart hammering in her chest. Harry was leaning over her, brows furrowed, eyes searching. Allison was in the chair in front of the fire still and morning light tickled her cheek.

"What time is it?" Allison asked, stifling a yawn. Her body ached.

"It's early. What are you doing down here?" Harry sat down beside her.

"I must have fallen asleep," Allison stretched her aching limbs and looked over to Harry. Her eyes widened.

In Harry's lap were the potion's books Allison had taken from the library the night before. He was looking at them with bewilderment.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, looking up at his friend, "why do you have these?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Allison said jokingly, trying to skirt the question. Harry just stared pointedly at her, "why does it matter?"

Harry set the book down by his feet and faced Allison. There was worry in his green eyes.

"I'm okay, Harry," Allison said softly, "I was just looking through them," she waved at the books on the floor.

"You don't seem okay," Harry replied simply, "ever since we saw you on the train. What happened over the summer?"

Allison was slightly taken aback at Harry's inquisitive observations. She knew he was smart, but perhaps not the most aware of other people around him. Not like Hermione anyway. Allison shifted in her chair.

"Did your parents do something?"

The mention of her parents made Allison shudder and she stared at her hands, unwilling to answer.

"Did they hurt you?"

"No!" Allison snapped, anger at her friend's persistence obvious in her voice, "they didn't do anything and that's the problem! They don't do anything! They abandoned me!"

Allison fell silent, stunned and ashamed. She hadn't meant to expose so much but her anger got the best of her. She snatched up the potion's books and stormed up the staircase to the dormitories, leaving a surprised and upset Harry in her wake.


End file.
